


Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

by NurseTookers



Category: The Mindy Project
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-10
Updated: 2014-12-10
Packaged: 2018-02-28 21:40:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,453
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2748077
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NurseTookers/pseuds/NurseTookers
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set after TMP 3x11 "Christmas" episode.  </p><p>Angst.</p><p>Danny tries to deal with Mindy's upcoming fellowship.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

**Author's Note:**

> I don't own The Mindy Project or any of its wacky characters.

 

"Merry Christmas, babe."

 

Mindy smiles, her eyes glistening, and leans in to kiss Danny.  She isn't surprised when he pulls her closer, deepening the kiss, his hands guiding her onto his lap.  She straddles him, pushing his coat off before snaking her arms around his neck.  They kiss for what seems like forever, until they're both hot and sweaty, their hips moving together slowly in a practiced rhythm.  Somehow they manage to get off the couch and stumble to Mindy's bedroom, undressing each other along the way.  

 

As they melt together on the bed, Mindy notices a difference.  Usually Danny is firm and confident in his touch, but tonight it's different.  He's tentative and gentle, eyes open, watching her every response.  It's as if he's memorizing this, making love to her like he fears it's the last time.  

 

When it's over, she feels him curl up behind her, the big spoon, and she thinks she hears him sniffle.  He buries his nose in her hair, breathing her in, hiding his face so she doesn't see the tears.  

 

The next couple of weeks seem to fly by.  Everyday Mindy pounces on the mail, looking for a California post mark.  Danny finds himself waging an internal battle.  He wants her to be happy and he wants to support her career...but he can't help the hurt that creeps up whenever he listens to her talk about Stanford.  He knows it's selfish.  He knows it's his own fault, for dragging his feet on the marriage issue.  Mindy said in her diary that she might move on if he didn't propose by Christmas.  Was this her way of doing that?  Christmas was still two weeks away.  She didn't seem to want to break up, but she certainly wasn't waiting around anymore.  He was actually proud of her, and if this was a year ago and they were still just friends, he'd be telling her how great it was that she was furthering her career and not hanging all her hopes and dreams on the head of some cheeseball.  But now, _he_ was the cheeseball...and suddenly he realized that somewhere along the line, she had become all  _his_ hopes and dreams.  The thought of her leaving was killing him.  

 

He had to do something.

_________________________

 

The acceptance letter from Stanford arrived the Tuesday before Christmas. 

 

Danny put on a happy face for her and let himself be tackled to the ground, her giddy excitement taking over.

 

As her colleague, he was thrilled.  

 

As her boyfriend, he was heartbroken.  Eight months.  Three thousand miles.  

 

Danny waited until she went in to her next appointment before he quietly closed the door to his office, where he slid to the ground and pulled his knees to his chest.  He shook lightly as tears stung his eyes, bitterly chastising himself for getting himself in this situation.  Had he just proposed by now, she wouldn't have applied for the fellowship.  She would be putting family first instead of her career.  But he had been so unsure about getting married again.  He hadn't even been thinking about living together yet.  He should have known better.  He should have actually taken the time to sit down and think about everything, instead of being content with the current state of their relationship.  Because when he really thought about it, as he was now, the answer was so clear. _Of course_ he wanted to marry her, to have a life and a home and a family with her.  But it was too late now.  A proposal at this point would be desperate and would likely make Mindy feel guilty about leaving for California.  He couldn't do that to her, it wouldn't be fair.  Timing was never his strong suit, Danny realized.  

__________________________

 

Christmas Eve was spent at Ma's house.  After dinner, Mindy and Danny made their way back to his apartment.  They'd agreed to exchange presents tonight since Mindy was on call Christmas Day.  They snuggled on the couch, rewatching Danny's personal Ken Burns documentary and sipping wine.  Then Mindy presented him with a new cellphone, complete with an upgraded "bells and whistles" unlimited talk and text plan as well as Skype preloaded onto it. 

 

Mindy bounced up and down on the couch, waiting for her present.  She thought about an entry she'd made in her diary, months ago, about wanting to be engaged by Christmas and breathed a sigh of relief that she hadn't told Danny.  She wanted to marry him, of course, but she knew that he wasn't ready.  Sometimes she forgets how badly Christina hurt him, and she knew in her heart that pushing Danny wouldn't end well.  Maybe in time, and with a little distance, Danny would make up his mind.  She knew this fellowship was throwing him for a loop.  

 

Danny simply pointed to the tree and told Mindy to look for the silver bow.  She jumped up and scanned the tree, a tiny part of her wondering if maybe, by some miracle, there was a ring attached to it.  And then she spotted the shiny silver bow, hanging near the top of the tree.  She gently eased it off the branch and then it was in her hand along with a set of keys jingling on a beautiful Tiffany's silver keychain.

 

Mindy looked at Danny, her eyes questioning this strange gift.  

 

Danny smiled warmly and stood up, taking Mindy's hand.  He led her to the front door of the apartment next door and gestured for her to open the lock.  Mindy looked at him, confusion wrinkling her brow.

 

"But Peter..."

 

"...has been secretly sub-letting another apartment in the building for two weeks now," Danny finished.

 

Mindy stared at him, surprised and intrigued.  She turned to the door and opened it, then stepped into the apartment.  

 

Her breath caught in her throat and she froze, overwhelmed.  The apartment was transformed.  It was completely gutted, with only skeleton walls made of 2x4's and door frames here and there.  Tiny white Christmas lights were strung along the wood and they blurred as her eyes filled with tears.  A small radio in the corner was tuned to a Christmas station, and the music echoed in the hollow room.  Danny steered her towards a blueprint that was tacked to the brick wall in what used to be the kitchen.  She blinked to rid her eyes of tears, letting them roll down her cheeks as she struggled to read the new floor plan.  She saw a laundry area next to a huge room labeled "Mindy's closet" along with two bathrooms and three bedrooms.  

 

"We'll break through my dining room wall to make a hallway here," Danny said, pointing to a spot on the blueprint.  "Our room will be still be across the way in my old apartment. I figured we'd want some privacy away from the kids and the hot live-in nanny," he smirked, his eyes shining.  

 

"All ugly, you perv!" Mindy cried, laughing through her tears, pummeling his chest with her fists.  

 

Danny pulled her close, sighing as she relented and wrapped her arms around him.  

 

"Yeah, yeah..." he conceded.  "Eventually Ma would probably need to move in, you know that right?" 

 

"Of course, Danny.  Maybe Dot will be her roommate?" 

 

"Sounds about right," he laughed, muffled as he pressed his face into her neck.

 

They stood there, holding each other, lightly swaying to the music.  Danny captured Mindy's left hand, his fingers folding around hers as he brought their hands to his chest.  They moved together, slow dancing as the opening notes of Judy Garland's "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" filled the empty apartment. 

 

"When the fellowship is over, I want you to come home, here, to live with me," Danny whispered in Mindy's ear.

 

Mindy smiled against his shoulder, biting back tears.  "Home," she repeated.

 

"I don't know how I'm gonna let you go..." Danny choked.  He started to cry, pulling her tighter.

 

"I don't know how I'm gonna let you let me go..." Mindy whispered back, voice breaking as her tears started to fall again.

 

They danced, slowly, pressed together, the melancholy lyrics not lost on them.   

 

_Have yourself a merry little Christmas_

_Let your heart be light_

_Next year all our troubles will be out of sight_

_Have yourself a merry little Christmas_

_Make the yule-tide gay_

_Next year all our troubles will be miles away_

_Once again as in olden days, happy golden days of yore_

_Faithful friends who were dear to us_

_Will be near to us once more_

_Someday soon, we all will be together, if the Fates allow_

_Until then, we'll have to muddle through somehow_

_So have yourself a merry little Christmas now_

.  
.  
.

The end.


End file.
